Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nuclear Power

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the exclusion of nuclear power from the Green Financing Framework means that they no longer see nuclear power as a crucial part of delivering the net zero carbon emissions policy by 2050.

Lord Callanan: The Government has been clear that nuclear has a key role in delivering net zero, confirming in the Energy White Paper in December 2020 that it is committed to bringing forward “at least one large-scale nuclear project” this parliament and entering negotiations with EDF on Sizewell C. The White Paper also included plans for £385m in an Advanced Nuclear Fund with up to £215m investment to develop a domestic Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design by the early 2030s. The role of nuclear in delivering net zero was reiterated in the Green Financing Framework policy document to which the noble Lord refers, which said that “nuclear power is, and will continue to be, a key part of the UK’s low-carbon energy mix”. The policy document is available at:http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-government-green-financing Furthermore, eligibility under the Framework is not a determinant of what the government considers to be ‘green’ – that is the role of the UK Taxonomy, which the Government has committed to developing by 2023. In June the Government announced the formation of a Green Technical Advisory Group to advise on the Taxonomy’s development. As part of this, an Energy Working Group will consider how to address nuclear power in the Taxonomy. HM Treasury intends, where possible, to adhere to best practices in the market and will review the Green Financing Framework’s alignment with updated versions of the ICMA Green Bond Principles as and when they are released, as well as the UK Taxonomy as it develops. As such, this Framework may be updated and amended.

Equinor: Hydrogen

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the meeting on 28 June with the Norwegian Energy Minister and state-owned oil and gas company Equinor regarding the bilateral energy relationship, why an announcement was made ahead of the publication of the Hydrogen strategy of Equinor’s 1.8gw target for fossil fuel hydrogen.

Lord Callanan: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy met with the Norwegian Energy Minister in Oslo to discuss ways to build back better from the Coronavirus pandemic and tackle climate change. They signed a Joint Statement reaffirming the importance of the bilateral energy relationship between the countries. The Joint Statement marks a new phase of cross-border energy cooperation between the UK and Norway. The statement celebrated the completion last month of the construction of the North Sea link interconnector and announced that the UK and Norway are close to concluding a historic bilateral treaty on electricity interconnection. It also signalled both countries’ commitment to work together on future opportunities to support our economies’ transition to clean, green energy. Both Norway and Equinor already play a valuable role in the UK’s energy supply. Equinor has major existing investments in wind and hydrocarbon projects on the UK Continental Shelf. Equinor announced their latest plans for potential investment in low-carbon hydrogen production separately, following the Joint Statement. Equinor are one of several companies looking to invest in low carbon hydrogen projects in the UK.

Department for Education

Schools: Disability

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toprovide training for school staff on work-based assistive technology; and what assessment they have made of how such technology can support disabled students.

Baroness Berridge: The department funded training in assistive technology in financial year 2020-21 via the EdTech Demonstrator Programme. National Star College launched a special education need and disabilities (SEND) Hub, which included training on ways assistive technology could be used by teachers, leaders and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCos) to support all pupils. Materials from these training sessions to support teachers and ensure their practice is inclusive to all learners, can still be accessed through the SEND Hub website and the EdTech Demonstrator website.The success of this programme is informing our next steps in relation to supporting teachers, leaders and SENCos with assistive technology, including a proposed pilot training programme for school staff for financial year 2021-22.The department published a rapid literature review on assistive technology in education in July 2020, which found strong evidence of the positive impact of specific types of assistive technology (for example to improve communication) and recommended training for teachers and other staff on the use, assessment and evaluation of assistive technology.

Advanced Maths Premium

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost per annum of the Advanced Maths Premium scheme.

Baroness Berridge: The Advanced Maths Premium was first paid in the 2019-20 academic year, when we allocated £10,630,200 to providers of 16-19 education. In the 2020-21 academic year, we allocated £14,059,800 of funding through the Advanced Maths Premium.This information is available from 16-19 published allocations data at the following links: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-allocation-data-2020-to-2021-academic-year and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-allocation-data-2019-to-2020-academic-year. This information can be calculated by totalling the allocations to individual providers in the Advanced Maths Premium column.

Further Education: Finance

Lord Rose of Monewden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the benefits, and (2) the disadvantages, of the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s lagged funding mechanism in assisting businesses to have a pipeline of employees with the skills they need to help the economy to build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Berridge: The skills for jobs white paper sets out how the department would place employers at the heart of local skills systems by leading the development of new Local Skills Improvement Plans. Through this, employers will be able to articulate their skills needs, and colleges and other providers will be able to reshape their provision in response.We have recently launched an extensive government consultation on reforms to the further education funding and accountability system, including how funding is calculated. This consultation is a first step for a funding and accountability system that will maximise the potential of further education and help us build back better. We want to use the consultation to open a dialogue with the sector, employers, and other interested parties on how government funding can be administered more simply and effectively, so that colleges and other providers can focus on supporting students to develop the skills needed by employers and local labour markets. The consultation will run up to 7 October 2021.

Pupil Premium: Children in Care

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of extending the pupil premium for Looked After and Previously Looked After children (Pupil Premium Plus) beyond Year 11, to include students in post-16 education.

Baroness Berridge: The government is committed to ensuring that looked-after and previously looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and achieve positive outcomes.The department has recently confirmed a £3 million pilot to test the use of pupil premium plus funding for looked-after children and care leavers in further education. Local authorities can apply now to take part in the pilot and successful sites will be confirmed in September 2021, with the pilot starting in October 2021 and running until March 2022. Findings from the pilot will help inform any future post-16 support developed for looked-after children, care leavers, and previously looked-after children. Further information for local authorities interested in the pilot is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-plus-post-16-pilot-submit-an-expression-of-interest.

Further Education: Finance

Lord Rose of Monewden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to change policy so that funding for further education follows the learner, and (2) to scrap the lagged funding mechanism used by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Baroness Berridge: Funding for providers of 16-19 education, including further education institutions, already follows the principle of funding per student. Funding is based on the characteristics of the student and the courses they study, alongside student numbers from the previous academic year. The system of lagged funding is well established and understood because it provides institutions with clear allocations each year based on student data, allowing them to make plans with confidence. Where institutions see a particularly large increase in student numbers in a year, they typically qualify for exceptional in-year growth funding, in addition to the lagged funding, to help them with the extra costs of these students, though this is subject to affordability. We do not have any plans to remove the system of lagged funding at this time.The lagged funding system does not currently apply to funding for adult provision. On 15 July, we published a government consultation on reforms to the further education funding and accountability system, to gather views on how colleges and other providers can focus on supporting learners to develop the skills needed by employers and local labour markets. As part of this, we are seeking views on how government funding can be administered more simply and effectively which includes asking for views on whether we should move to a lagged system for core adult funding.

Adoption

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the report by Adoption UK The Adoption Barometer: A stocktake of adoption in the UK, published in June, and, in particular, (1) the recommendation for a 10-year commitment to the Adoption Support Fund in England, (2) their finding that only 54 per cent of respondents felt the process for accessing the Adoption Support Fund was clear and only 51 per cent felt it was completed in a timely fashion, (3) the recommendation that all education and health professionals are trained in early childhood trauma, and (4) the recommendation that adoption support should be extended to at least the age of 26.

Baroness Berridge: Improving adoption is a manifesto commitment and Adoption UK’s Adoption Barometer report is a valuable resource for informing policy debate. We will be considering the report carefully as part of our planning for funding for future years.

Special Educational Needs

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to create a national framework of minimum standards of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.

Baroness Berridge: The government is carrying out a review of the special educational needs and disabilities system, which includes looking at the support available in mainstream schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The review is looking at how to ensure support across all education settings is consistent, high quality and joined up across health and care.It is also considering measures to make sure that money is being spent fairly, efficiently, and effectively, and that the support available to children and young people is sustainable in the future.This cross-government review is being led by the Department for Education, working closely with other government departments, partners in education and with children, young people, and their families.

Economic Growth: Greater London

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they havemade of the report by London FirstCentral Government's Role in Helping London Drive Recovery,published in May; and what plans they have to create a London Apprenticeship Fund targeted at small firms affected by COVID-19 to restart apprenticeship growth in the capital.

Baroness Berridge: We welcome the report’s focus on the importance of business-led skills programmes in responding to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Through our Plan for Jobs, we are supporting businesses to create employment opportunities and develop their skills bases as we build back better from COVID-19.We are committed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country, including in London, to benefit from the high-quality training that apprenticeships offer. In the first half of the 2020/21 academic year (August to January), there were 18,400 apprenticeship starts in London.For the 2021/22 financial year, funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is £2.5 billion, double that spent in the 2010/11 financial year. As well as funding new apprenticeships in levy-paying employers, income from the levy is used to fund new apprenticeships in employers that do not pay the levy. These SMEs continue to be able to access funding for 95% of apprenticeship training and assessment costs, and can now reserve funding for up to 10 new apprenticeship starts in the 2021/22 financial year.SMEs can also benefit from further funding through the receipt of levy transfers from larger employers who are able to transfer up to 25% of their annual levy funds. In August 2021, we will introduce a new online service to help levy paying employers pledge funds for transfer and find SMEs to receive their transfer. This will allow large employers to make greater use of their levy funds to support apprenticeships in their supply chains and help meet local and regional skills needs.To further help businesses offer apprenticeships as new employment opportunities, we have increased our cash incentive payments to £3,000 for every apprentice they hire as a new employee from 1 April until 30 September 2021.Given this existing commitment to supporting apprenticeships in SMEs, we have no plans to introduce a London apprenticeship growth fund.

Education and Skills Funding Agency

Lord Rose of Monewden: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the effectiveness of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in supporting the UK's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic; and what plans they have to bring the work of the Education and Skills Funding Agency back under direct ministerial control.

Baroness Berridge: The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is an arm’s length body (ALB) of the Department for Education, responsible for administering and distributing funding of over £61 billion to deliver education and skills, from early years through to adulthood. It is accountable to ministers who make key decisions on the ESFA’s business, and it has played a key role in supporting the department’s response to COVID-19.The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the importance of all government departments and ALBs being set up in the most efficient and effective way, ensuring the delivery of high-quality outcomes for all. In line with this, the department, including the ESFA, keep under constant review how the best possible outcomes for all learners can be ensured.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Domestic Abuse

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 3 February (HL Deb, col 2286), what assessment they have made of (1) the need to review the existing defences for individuals whose offending or alleged offending results from their experience of domestic abuse, and (2) the need for statutory reform in relation to (a) sentencing, (b) conviction, or (c) acquittal.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conversations, if any, they have had with the Law Commission in the last six months about reviewing the effectiveness of existing defences for individuals whose offending or alleged offending results from their experience of domestic abuse; and what assessment they have made of the need for legislative reform on this matter.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government have committed to conducting a review of domestic homicides which, although primarily about sentencing, will also take account of the current defences to a homicide charge. We intend, following that review, to consider whether it is necessary for a separate review of statutory defences to homicide in the context of domestic abuse to be undertaken, or whether there is evidence of the need for consideration of a specific defence for a wider range of offences for those subject to domestic abuse. The Ministry of Justice regularly engages with the Law Commission on emerging criminal law issues. Some initial discussions at official level have taken place on this and other related matters but the Government will be awaiting the outcome of the domestic homicide review before it considers whether any legislative change is necessary.

Domestic Abuse: Homicide

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what are the terms of reference, and (2) what is the planned process, for the Lord Chancellor’s review of sentencing in domestic homicide cases; and what plans they have, if any, to hold a public consultation on this matter.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Lord Chancellor’s review of sentencing in domestic homicide cases to (1) commence, and (2) report.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what organisations will be consulted for the Lord Chancellor’s review of sentencing in domestic homicide cases.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Lord Chancellor committed to reviewing sentencing in cases of domestic homicide earlier this year and I am pleased that the first stage of this review, an analysis of data, sentencing remarks and outcomes of relevant domestic homicide cases from the past two years, is well underway. We are hopeful that the review will be complete by the end of the year.The first stage of the review is focused on achieving an improved understanding of current sentencing practice, before moving to a second stage which will consider whether any changes to the law are necessary, and if so, what those changes should be. This initial stage will examine how the sentencing legislation and guidelines have been applied, including in cases where a weapon is and is not taken to the scene, and where victims of domestic abuse have killed their abuser. It will also consider how aggravating and mitigating circumstances are taken into account, the use of current defences to charges of murder and manslaughter, and whether there appear to be gender disparities in case outcomes and how the guidelines are being applied.Following this initial stage, the Lord Chancellor intends to appoint an independent expert, with the relevant experience and knowledge in this field, to oversee a more detailed phase of consideration and consultation. Their role will be to consider the findings of the initial case review and data analysis and use that as the basis for identifying potential areas for reform and delivering recommendations for change to the Lord Chancellor.Once the independent expert is in place, we will work with them to finalise the scope and approach for this second phase of the Review, including issues of consultation. Engagement with key stakeholders will be critical and the Lord Chancellor is keen that they have the opportunity to provide their input in helping shape the recommendations. He has already met with both the Victims Commissioner and Domestic Abuse Commissioner to discuss the review as a first step.

Criminal Justice Royal Commission

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Scott of Bybrook on 9 November 2020 (HL Deb, col 798) and the answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 6 July (HL Deb, col 1149), what work has been undertaken by the team of officialsappointed to work on the royal commission on criminal justice since November 2020; and what work are they currently undertaking.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Work to establish a Royal Commission was slowed down last year to prioritise the safe operation of the Criminal Justice System in response to the impact of Covid. As we continue to recover and build back the CJS, it is right that we now pause work on the Royal Commission to allow space for the recovery work before revisiting where a Commission might add most value. As work on the Commission has paused, officials have been redeployed to other roles in government.

Prisoners

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people sentenced to Imprisonment for Public Protection sentences have never been released.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence have been recalled more than once.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence have been released but not recalled.

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence who have been released applied for thelife licence to be lifted as they have been released more than 10 years.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government is committed to the protection of the public and the effective management of offenders. By law, prisoners serving indeterminate sentences who have completed their tariff will be released only when the independent Parole Board concludes that the risk they present to the public is capable of being safely managed in the community under probation supervision.As of 31 March 2021, there were 1,784 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who have never been released.As of the same date, there were 632 prisoners serving the IPP sentence in custody who had been recalled more than once, whilst there were 2243 offenders serving the IPP sentence in the community who have been released and not been recalled.As of 8 July, 18 applications have been received from offenders requesting termination of their IPP licence. From September this year, officials will refer automatically to the Parole Board the case of every offender serving the IPP sentence who has become eligible to apply for termination of his/her IPP licence.Notes for all figures:These figures have been drawn from the Public Protection Unit Database and Prison-NOMIS held by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. As with any large-scale recording systems, the figures are subject to possible errors with data migration and processing.

Prisoners: Gender Recognition

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many biologically female transgender prisoners are housed in the male prison estate; what assessment they have made of the safety of those prisoners; what steps they are taking to protect those prisoners from sexual assault; and whether those prisoners are subject to full body searches by biologically male prison officers.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: At the time of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service Offender Equalities Report 2018/19, there were 163 people who self-identified as transgender. Of the 129 transgender prisoners in men’s prisons, 2 reported their legal gender as female. Although those known to hold Gender Recognition Certificates (GRCs) were excluded from this data set, it is possible that prisoners may not always disclose this as there is no legal requirement for them to do so.The policy framework ‘The Care and Management of Individuals who are Transgender’ sets out how decisions regarding the allocation of transgender prisoners are taken. Local and Complex Case Boards provide expertise on the management of transgender prisoners. When managing prisoners, all risk information relating to each individual must be considered, including risk from others, risk to others and risk of self-harm, in order to protect the welfare and rights of every individual as well as those around them.Searching arrangements for transgender prisoners are agreed on a case-by-case basis, but must be in line with PSI 07/2016 (Searching of the Person).

Divorce Settlements

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 6 July (HL1300), whether they have departed from the commitment made by Lord Keen of Elie in his letter dated 16 March 2020 (DEP2020-0150) to gather evidence, consult and develop recommendations relating to the law governing financial provision on divorce.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government remains committed to examining the law governing financial provision on divorce. On 22 January, in answer to written question HL11921 from the noble Baroness, I said that the Government was committed to set up a Lord Chancellor’s working group to take forward that work, including consideration of whether there are problems with the current law. In February 2021, the Nuffield Foundation began an independent research project to investigate how divorcing couples in England and Wales negotiate financial arrangements, both inside and outside the legal system. This study, “Fair Shares? Sorting out money and property on divorce”, aims to provide the first fully representative picture of divorcing couples in England and Wales. In light of this important study, and its relevance to the gathering of evidence, the Government will further consider how best to progress the commitments made by Lord Keen and will announce its intentions in due course.

Judiciary: Retirement

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to amend the law to raise the mandatory retirement age for judicial office holders; and whether, further to consultation on the matter, they will propose an amendment to that Bill to fulfil the commitment made by the Lord Chancellor on 9 March to “legislate to increase the mandatory retirement age as soon as parliamentary time allows”.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: As set out in the background briefing notes to the Queen’s Speech on 11 May, the government intends to legislate to raise the mandatory retirement age of judicial office holders to 75 through the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill, to be introduced shortly.

Treasury

Corporation Tax: Overpayments

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that businesses are aware if they have overpaid corporation tax.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK corporation tax regime is a self-assessment regime. This means that the taxpayer is responsible for calculating their own taxable profits or allowable losses. Companies will submit their returns to HMRC confirming this and will, therefore, make payments of corporation tax or request repayments (where applicable) on this basis. HMRC do not know that an amount is overpaid until the self-assessment for the period is filed. Repayments are issued automatically at this point, provided there are no other liabilities, open enquiries etc. In all other cases, repayments are treated as a priority and issued as soon as possible. Similarly, if a company is due a refund for earlier years due to a loss in a later year, HMRC cannot know about this loss until a valid claim is made. To support businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chancellor announced a temporary extension to the loss relief rules enabling companies to make claims to carry back up to £2 million of losses by two further years than pre-exisiting rules permit. HMRC have introduced a form on Gov.UK specifically to make it easier for companies to make such claims and has recruited additional staff to prioritise these and other repayment claims.

Multinational Companies: Corporation Tax

Lord Hannan of Kingsclere: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the UK insurance sector regardingthe impact of timing differences arising from Pillar 2 of theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development BEPS Framework.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: OECD discussions on addressing the tax challenges of digitalisation have been ongoing for a number of years, with the detailed frameworks for Pillars One and Two having been under development since 2019. Over the course of that time the OECD has conducted multiple public consultations on the proposals and had extensive engagement with businesses across sectors to take their views on board. UK government officials are also engaged with many sectors regarding the potential impact of both pillars, including with the insurance sector on the specific issue of timing differences under Pillar 2.

Digital Technology: Taxation

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a Smart Fund tax on technological devices to support the creative arts sector.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: There are no plans to introduce a Smart Fund tax on technological devices but the Government continues to monitor the way that creative sector tax reliefs are working to ensure they are effective. The Government recognises the significant disruption the necessary actions to combat Covid-19 are having on sectors such as the creative arts. During this difficult time the Treasury has worked intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups, and other government departments to understand the long-term impact of Covid-19 on all key areas of the economy and continues to do so. The sector continues to benefit from the significant cross-economy support made available throughout this pandemic, including the generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT to 5%, business rates relief, and the extension of the moratorium on commercial evictions for business tenants. In March 2021, the Chancellor announced a further £300m to build on the existing £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to protect the cultural sectors. To date, more than £1.2 billion in grants, repayable finance and capital has been awarded to over 5000 organisations and sites in England. Additionally, in March 2021, the Chancellor extended the £500 million Film & TV Production Restart Scheme to enable the screen sector to operate throughout the year. The registration deadline for this scheme is 31 October 2021, and claims will be able to be submitted up to 31 March 2022 for losses incurred up until 31 December 2021. The scheme has directly supported more than 45,000 jobs. The £7 million UK Global Screen Fund pilot has also been established to support the export of UK independent screen content, in particular UK independent film.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Developing Countries: Health Services

Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the overall official development assistance reduction to (1) Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and (2) FamilyPlanning, will be this financial year; and whether there has been an impact assessment of the effects of these reductions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary provided thematic ODA allocations for 2021/22 in a written ministerial statement which included £1,305 million allocated to global health. FCDO spend by sector is calculated using OECD-DAC sector codes. Details of FCDO spend by sector code for 2021 will be available in the Statistics on International Development publication in Autumn 2022 and details of FCDO spend for 2022 will be available in the Statistics on International Development publication in Autumn 2023. FCDO programme sector codes are available on DevTracker.The impact of the global pandemic on the economy has forced us to take tough but necessary decisions, including within our global health portfolio. The aid budget has been allocated in accordance with UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial climate. Officials considered any impact on women and girls, the most marginalised and vulnerable, people with disabilities and people from other protected groups, when developing advice to Ministers.

Zimbabwe: Business

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by The Sentry Shadows and Shell Games: Uncovering an Offshore Business Empire in Zimbabwe, published on 1 July; and what steps they intend to take as a result.

Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to apply sanctions against the Zimbabwean Presidential adviser, Kudakwashe Tagwirei.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the report by the Sentry Shadows and Shell Games, published on 1 July, about the offshore business empire and corruption dealings of Kudakwashe Tagwirei. The UK is deeply worried about the state of the Zimbabwean economy, which continues to face unprecedented challenges largely due to corruption, poor fiscal policies and economic mismanagement by the Government. The UK remains committed to reducing poverty and helping the people of Zimbabwe secure their constitutional freedoms.We continue to look at how all the tools available to the UK, including the full range of sanctions regimes, can be used to encourage accountability and reform in Zimbabwe. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations.

North Korea: Coronavirus and Famine

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the famine in North Korea, (2) the effects of COVID-19 onits population, and (3)whether these issues or other factors explain the scale of the evacuation of Russians from that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is concerned that humanitarian needs may be growing in North Korea. According to UN figures, 40% of North Korea's population were food insecure in 2019. We assess that North Korea's own restrictions at the border have prevented aid shipments from entering the country since January 2020, and that natural disasters last year may have reduced harvest yields. North Korea continues to claim that it has had zero cases of Covid-19.We are unable to verify the humanitarian or Covid situations directly, because the border restrictions also forced the temporary closure of the British Embassy in Pyongyang in May 2020. Other Embassies have also closed or reduced their staff, and we understand the Russian Embassy sent some of its staff home in early July. All UN agencies and NGOs have also now withdrawn expatriate staff and ceased operations. We will work to restore the British Embassy presence in Pyongyang once it is safe and possible to do so, and encourage North Korea to allow entry for humanitarian workers to carry out an independent assessment of humanitarian needs, and to facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable communities.

Stan Swamy

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of India about the death of Father Stan Swamy in custody whilst awaiting trial in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I was greatly saddened to learn of Father Swamy's passing on July 5, aged 84. I raised Father Swamy's case with India's Foreign Secretary, Harsh Shringla, and India's Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kishan Reddy, on 15 March while in India. Most recently, I discussed Father Swamy's case with the Indian High Commissioner on 8 June.We engage with India on a range of human rights matters and oppose discrimination against minorities because of religion, caste, or belief. The British High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commission in Mumbai had been monitoring Father Swamy's case closely and will continue to monitor progress on the rights of Dalits and indigenous people in India.The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India regularly meet representatives from minority communities and run projects promoting minority rights. Our project work has provided legal training for 2,000 Dalit women to combat violence against them. We also helped establish the first network of Dalit Women Human Rights Defenders who are trained as paralegals in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. Furthermore, we engaged 365 state criminal justice system officials in case issues, training programmes, legal roundtables, and awareness raising programmes.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Lord Collins of Highbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual budget for theConflict, Stability and Security Fund: Cyber and Technology Programmein each of the past five years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund's (CSSF) Cyber and Technology Programme started in April 2020. The final FY20/21 programme spend will be released in the CSSF annual report due to be published in the autumn.

Climate Change: Population

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the link between climate change and population growth; and what plans they have, if any, to weaken this link to reduce the impact caused by population growth.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Evidence shows that while population growth has an impact on the environment and global emissions, the bigger factor is consumption levels per capita. For example, it takes the average UK citizen five days to emit the same amount of carbon as the average Rwandan does in a full year. Voluntary family planning programmes are one of the most powerful enablers of sustainable development and prosperity. Effective and voluntary family planning programmes can positively change population trends and the overall development trajectory of communities and whole countries, by empowering women and bringing down fertility rates.  Good investments in health and education can also enable communities to adapt and respond to climate change.Key UK aid investments include support for voluntary family planning and for provision of 12 years of quality education for girls in low income countries. This year, we are supporting the launch of FP2030, the new global partnership to accelerate progress on voluntary family planning. This November, the UK is hosting the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and is committed to delivering an ambitious and inclusive COP26.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Disclosure of Information

Lord Coaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the investigation into the leak of Ministry of Defence documents which were found at a bus stop in Kent to conclude; and whether they will publish the findings of that investigation.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the Noble Lord to the Written Statement HLWS 186 which was released to the House on Friday 16 July.HLWS186 - MOD Loss of Secret Documents (docx, 15.2KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Recruitment and Vacancies

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG Report on Jobs, published on 8 July; in particular, the finding that theavailability of workers to fill vacancies fell at the quickest rates on record; and what steps they intend to take as a result.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) monitors a wide range of statistics and surveys on the labour market. We want everyone to be able to find a job, progress in work and thrive in the labour market, whoever they are and wherever they live. Through Plan for Jobs, the government announced over £33 billion in measures to create, support and protect jobs, which includes £2.9 billion funding for Restart and £3 billion investment in the Kickstart programme alongside other measures focussed on boosting work search, skills and apprenticeships. Alongside measures in Plan for Jobs, DWP is leading cross-government collaboration to identify and remove barriers to working in sectors with immediate or growing demand for jobs. We continue to work closely with these departments and sector bodies to identify and address barriers facing DWP customers and to ensure the provision is available to support individuals to access opportunities in these sectors. We work closely with a range of departments to shape skills support to enable individuals to develop the skills needed in order to move to roles in different sectors

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are relying on telephone assessments to determinea claimant’s level of disability rather than using a video service.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: We are committed to improving the experience of health and disability benefits and we are currently delivering health and disability assessments via a variety of channels. Face-to-face assessments are being delivered alongside new telephone and video assessments introduced in response to the pandemic. A programme of in-house analysis and externally commissioned research into the outcomes from and experiences of the newly introduced assessment channels is underway. The Health and Disability Green Paper will offer an opportunity to hear views on how we can improve assessments, including how we might provide a multi-channel health assessment service. Any future decisions about channel will be evidence-based and to ensure this we will draw on existing evidence as well as continuing to build our understanding via research and analysis.

Universal Credit

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the £20 increase in Universal Credit will be retained.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and we announced the temporary uplift as part of a £400 billion package of measures put in place that will last well beyond the end of the roadmap. Our focus now is on our multi-billion Plan for Jobs, which will support people in the long-term by helping them learn new skills and increase their hours or find new work.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Department for Work and Pensions staff contacted disability claimants who were appealing their decisions to persuade them to abandon their appeals and accept a lower offer; and if such practices have been used, who authorised them.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: The Department’s aim is to ensure that claimants are paid the correct amount of benefit at the earliest opportunity. Accordingly, if new evidence or information becomes available after an appeal has been lodged, it is right that decisions are reviewed and claimants put in the best position where they can choose either to continue with their appeal, or have the decision revised. At the same time claimants have, and have always had, a right of appeal against the revised decision, and to have their payments fully backdated if successful at appeal. Claimants are notified of this right of appeal in their revised decision letter.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Amazon: Consumer Goods

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps the Environment Agency is taking to prevent Amazon destroying unsold stock.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice the Environment Agency has given Amazon about the need to (1) separate, (2) re-use, and (3) recycle, unwanted stock.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We are aware of the recent news regarding Amazon and the alleged destruction of unsold stock and are closely monitoring the situation. Businesses that handle waste, including companies like Amazon, are obliged to follow the waste hierarchy, under our Waste Regulations 2011, which requires action to prevent waste as the priority option. Failure to meet the legal obligation to take all reasonable steps to apply these steps can lead to enforcement action from the Environment Agency in England. Waste is a devolved matter and SEPA is the regulator in Scotland. The Government recently consulted on its draft Waste Prevention Programme. The consultation document outlined the potential for, and benefits of, action on waste prevention and sets out the actions that the Government intends to take. It recognised that action is required across society – by government, businesses, local authorities, consumers and others - for progress to be made. Responses to the consultation are currently being analysed.The Government also plans to consult on reforms to the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations later this year. Amongst a number of issues, we will seek views on placing new responsibilities on Online Market Places such as Amazon and reviewing existing obligations placed on retailers to ensure they play their part in maximising collections of unwanted electricals for re-use and recycling. We also want to gather views on ways in which we can make it easier for all businesses with unwanted electricals to return them under a system of producer responsibility that respects the waste hierarchy.The Environment Agency has had no direct contact to date with Amazon over destroying, separating, re-using, or recycling unwanted stock.

Meat: Ritual Slaughter

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate to ensure that meat from animals which have been slaughtered without prior stunning is clearly labelled as such.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market. First, we will launch a call for evidence this summer to assess the impacts on different types of labelling reforms for animal welfare, including method of slaughter. This will feed into the Government’s wide-ranging review on food labelling to ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy and to facilitate the trade of quality British food at home and abroad.

Livestock: Ritual Slaughter

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the average time it takes for an unstunned (1) sheep, and (2) cow, to die after having their throat cut in a UK slaughterhouse.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: No such assessment has been made. When an animal is slaughtered without stunning, in accordance with religious rites, it must not be moved in any way until it is unconscious and, in any event, not before the expiry of 20 seconds for sheep and 30 seconds for cattle from the neck cut. These “standstill” times are to ensure the animal is unconscious and insensible so it can be moved and are not related to the time it may take for the animal to die. All slaughterhouses in England, including those where religious slaughter takes place, must have CCTV in place in all areas where live animals are present.

Livestock: Ritual Slaughter

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of (1) sheep, and (2) cattle, which were slaughtered without prior stunning in the last year for which figures are available, split by (a) Kosher, and (b) Halal slaughter; and what percentage of UK slaughterhouses are licensed to carry out such slaughter.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The most recent assessment was carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), on behalf of Defra and the Welsh Government, over a one-week period in 2018. During that period, the numbers slaughtered without stunning were 60,748 sheep by halal and 222 sheep by Shechita; and 214 cattle by halal and 164 cattle by Shechita Religious slaughter can only be carried out in an FSA approved slaughterhouse but there is no separate licensing of slaughterhouses carrying out religious slaughter.

Home Office

UK Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration: Staff

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many full-time staff there have beenin (1) UK Visa and Immigration, and (2) UK Border Force, in each year since 2017.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Information relating to the staffing in the Home Office including UK Visa and Immigration and Border Force is contained in the annual report and accounts since 2017.2016/2017UK Visa and Immigration total staff 6,467Border Force total staff 7,670The full report for 2016/2017 can be found at:Home Office annual report and accounts: 2016 to 2017 2017/2018UK Visa and Immigration total staff 7,680Border Force total staff 7,734The full report for 2017/18 can be found at:Home Office annual report and accounts: 2017 to 2018 2018/2019UK Visa and Immigration total staff 9,058Border Force total staff 8,197The full report for 2018/19 can be found atHome Office annual report and accounts: 2018 to 2019 2019/2020UK Visa and Immigration total staff 10,254Border Force total staff 9,027The full report for 2019/20 can be found at:Home Office annual report and accounts: 2019 to 2020 The Home Office Annual reports and accounts for 2020 to 2021 will be published in due course.UKVI regularly reviews its capacity plans and resources. Redeploying and recruiting staff where necessary to help meet and maintain service standards for individual services.Border Force is confident the resources to meet anticipated overall operational requirements are in place as well as recruiting sufficient additional frontline staff and continuing to build staffing levels during 2020/2021.HO Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-2020 (pdf, 2224.6KB)

Police: Cameras

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to update the College of Policing’s body worn camera guidance (1) to reduce officers’ discretion about its use, and (2) to discourage the practice of turning away from an incident to avoid recording wrongdoing by a fellow officer.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The vast majority of police officers act with integrity at all times and Body Worn Video is a vital tool which helps protect them and the public. The College of Policing has improved its guidance on BWV use with Authorised Professional Practice (APP) guidance published in July 2020. These standards will continue to be periodically updated by the College to keep pace with any issues that arise.In addition, the Government will consider how to increase the value of BWV in protecting officers and the public.

Migrants: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March, when they plan to consult on the proposal to remove support from families who have become Appeals Rights Exhausted (ARE), but have a child that was born prior to becoming ARE.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office plans to consult on the implementation of the support provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 later this year.

Asylum: Children

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their New Plan for Immigration, published on 24 March, whether they intend for the proposal that judges be told to give “minimal weight” to evidence raised by an asylum seeker late in the legal process to apply to unaccompanied children seeking asylum.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The policy intention is that judges must have regard to the principle that minimal weight should be attached to late evidence unless there are good reasons why the evidence was provided late. It will be a matter for judges to make decisions having regard to that principle on a case-by-case basis.

Refugees: Syria

The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of people likely to be resettled this year under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme; and how that figure compares to (1) 2018, and (2) 2019.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: In December 2020, the UK resumed resettlement following a pause due to the pandemic. On 25 February 2021 the Government met its target of resettling 20,000 refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme. Since then, the Government has continued to welcome refugees through the global UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS).The number of refugees we resettle every year will depend on a variety of factors including local authorities’ capacity for supporting those we resettle and the extent to which Community Sponsorship continues to thrive. This year, the recovery from the pandemic will be a significant factor affecting capacity. We are working closely with our partners to assess the capacity for resettlement in the months ahead and will continue to welcome those in need in the years to come.The numbers of refugees resettled are published through official statistics at quarterly intervals. The next set of statistics will be published in July and will include the number of people resettled since March. These are available from:  https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Musicians

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Minister for International Trade on 14 June (13157), whether the new trade deal agreed in principle will enable British musicians and performers to tour for up to 90 days every six months without a permit in Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The agreement secures access to Iceland and Liechtenstein for British service suppliers in all sectors, and to short-term business visitors working in culture and entertainment. This guarantees that British musicians and performers can enter Iceland as visitors to perform for up to 90 days within one calendar year without a permit; and up to eight days within a 90 day period as service providers in Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein does not require British nationals to hold visas under this route.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Local Government

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings the (1) Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and (2) Minister of State for Digital and Culture, have had with representatives from the Local Government Associationor local Council representatives, since March 2020.

Baroness Barran: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport met with the Local Government Association this month. In addition, the Minister of State for Digital and Culture and the Local Government Association were among the attendees for a Museums Working Group in June. The full list of Ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk on a quarterly basis.

Technology: China

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to diversify the UK’s technology supply chains away from China.

Baroness Barran: China is a leading member of the international community and we have a strong and constructive relationship with China in many areas. It has to be part of the solution to any major global problem we face; whether ensuring we do not face another devastating global health crisis, supporting vulnerable countries or addressing climate change. Our approach to China remains clear-eyed and rooted in our values and our interests. The security and resilience of the UK’s telecoms networks is of paramount importance. That is why the Government undertook the Telecoms Supply Chain Review, a comprehensive review of the supply arrangements for telecoms infrastructure in the UK. One example of where the government is seeking to diversify its supply chain is in 5G technology. On 2 July the Government published its response to the Diversification Taskforce’s recommendations on solutions and opportunities to diversify the supply market for 5G.We will progress action across all four areas that the Taskforce focused on. As a part of our ambitious diversification strategy, we will be looking to identify opportunities to diversify component supply chains, both geographically and in terms of the range of suppliers, in order to establish greater resilience against shocks or market disruption.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Parliament: Internet

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker,  further to the Written Answers by Lord McFall of Alcluith on 1 and 24 February 2017 (HL4961 and HL5612), why the Religion of Peace website is no longer accessible from computers attached to the parliamentary network, having previously been available.

Lord Touhig: The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The Parliamentary Digital Service uses an industry standard service to categorise and block websites that are deemed offensive, the “Religion of Peace” website is blocked as part of this automated service as it is classified as a religion-based hate website by the service. There are no indications that the website has been available to access on the parliamentary network.